We Are Miami.
At Miami, we believe that diverse mindsets and skills make us better and stronger. Through inclusion, we learn more about ourselves and find ways in which we are similar while celebrating our differences.
We realize that there are more things between all of us that are similar than what separate us. In loving inclusion and honoring diversity, we are not only being true to the mission of Miami University but also making the world a bigger place. Bigger because it is meant to include everyone. Bigger because it is a combination and coming together of multiple differences, all of which add great value to our communities. Our communities expand because of diversity and inclusion, and we are the better for it.
In the field hockey program at Miami we celebrate diversity every day. We are a diverse group made up of different nationalities, faiths, genders, sexualities, political leanings, interests, hopes and dreams. We are an inclusive group that embraces these differences, both in ourselves and in others. We take what we learn from ourselves and each other and share it outside the group, making connections even larger.
Our world has expanded dramatically as we have embraced diversity and practiced inclusion. We have literally connected friends from every corner of this planet that we share. Thanks to our diverse friends and interests, we have included people in such varied situations as Americans experiencing Hong Kong as a native; gay and straight hockey players playing with the London Royals, an LGBT field hockey club in London; natives of three European countries exploring the French Quarter in New Orleans; and people of different faiths working together to help devastated communities in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Doors have been thrown open to welcome families and friends. Bread has been broken with people from vastly different backgrounds, and friendships have been made that will last for a lifetime.
Miami’s commitment to diversity
These relationships are forged from a deep commitment to one another and to the understanding that, together, we are Miami.
On Saturday we welcomed the Miami LGBT family and celebrate the collaboration with the athletics family.
Yes, we are all Miami together. We in the hockey program are proud to represent an institution and its athletics department that not only value diversity and inclusion but also welcome it and promote it. We can share that pride by promoting it through our platform on the field, through events like Saturday’s pride game.
It is an honor to wear the red and white. Yet it is something that we do whether or not we are actually wearing the jersey in the game that day. We represent Miami with everything we do. It does not necessitate the actual wearing of the jersey.
So on Saturday we wore a shirt with the rainbow flag in solidarity with our friends, our families, our teachers, our teammates, our fellow members of our communities who are LGBT+. The pink is a nod to PinkHockey for their support of LGBT+ hockey worldwide.
Miami’s Pride Game had meaning
Saturday was a day to celebrate these communities and we recognize that it is still not enough. By showing our support, our actions can demonstrate that all are welcome here. This is a community that stands together in its belief that we are stronger together.
We are stronger as individuals for our acceptance of others. We are better for seeing the world as a shared living space that is more colorful and more melodious as we bring together people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and identities.
Our mission at Miami is to empower each student, staff and faculty member to promote and become engaged citizens who use their acquired knowledge and skills with integrity and compassion to improve the future of the community and the world. Today is one small step on that path, and we are proud to do our part.
Chip Rogers is an assistant coach with the Miami Univ. field hockey team.
